


What About Me?

by self_love_guru



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Langst, M/M, i project onto lance, klangst, theres fluff at the end i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 10:12:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13164765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/self_love_guru/pseuds/self_love_guru
Summary: The war is over. Keith doesn't feel like he belongs. Lance has anxiety.





	What About Me?

So it was finally over. After five years of planning and fighting, the war Team Voltron was thrown into was won. Emperor Zarkon and the Galra were defeated. Voltron floated among their allies and the wreckage of over 10,000 Galran fleets.

Lance let out a cheer that if one was paying attention to, sounded more like a sob.

"Dios," he mumbled, "It's- is it really? Did we do it?"

Allura responded over the comms, "We did!! Well done team!" 

Shiro, ever the leader, took charge, "Coran, we're coming back to the castle." 

"Right!" Coran exclaimed.

It was agreed that there would be a celebration on Arus, the planet where this great adventure started, including the Blade of Marmora, the rebel group, and the rest of the coalition. If he were being honest, Lance was only particularly excited about something that came along with the Blade. Keith.

Their relationship was complex yet simplistic. By the time they both realized they might be interested in being more than teammates, Shiro had disappeared again, Lotor presented himself as a new threat, and lastly, Keith joined the Blade of Marmora. Before that last obstacle, Lance and Keith spent a great amount of time together. They both agreed the universe came first (and Lance did not want Keith to be worried about another thing on top of Shiro). This agreement didn't stop them from growing extremely close. If one was looking for either one of them on a quiet day in the Castle, they would most likely be found in a gallery room talking about everything and anything. 

One of their favorite topics was what they would do after the war. When they were their own people once more, without a greater purpose to worry about. Lance could talk for hours on end about his family and Cuba and how much Keith would love both of them. Keith was always content to just listen to Lance and ask questions that would prompt embarrassing stories of Lance's siblings so he could watch his easy smile. They both knew they would be different coming out of this experience but they also knew that there was a possibility of being together.

So as various beings filled the ballroom of the Castle of Lions, Lance's eyes searched only for his hot-headed-raven-haired-bit-more-than-a-teammate. 

To either side of him, the rest of the team was discussing the excitedly the prospect of going home. They might've found Lance's silence odd but everyone was vastly aware of Lance and Keith's situation. 

A caught glimpse of raven hair caused Lance's heart to leap into his throat. He was quick to gesture at Keith to the rest of the team.

No matter how much that team respected Lance and Keith's privacy, the team decided that Lance and Keith's solo conversation could wait a little longer as they followed Lance towards where Keith stood looking increasingly uncomfortable as the seconds passed as he talked urgently with another Marmorite. 

"Keith," Shiro exclaimed as they got close. Keith registered his words but quickly latched his eyes to Lance's. 

"Hey," Keith said, his gaze was steady.

Lance could tell that Keith was uncomfortable though he didn't know why. His shoulders were tight with tension as the rest of the team competed for his attention. 

"It was so cool! And Allura did this thing-"

"I still can't believe it-"

"It's finally over-"

"We can go back to Earth."

Lance frowned as Keith visibly flinched at the last comment.

"Keith?" the rest of Lance's question hung in the air silently, was he alright?

"Actually, I've been considering staying with the blade."

Keith cut off everyone's sounds of disbelief as he continued.

"There's still a lot to do. The universe isn't perfect yet," a pause, "and besides, I don't have anything to go back for."

Lance's stomach dropped at his friend's words as his mind began to race. What did Keith mean 'nothing to go back for'? Did all those late night conversations where they both spilled their hearts out mean nothing? Did Keith only stay up and indulge Lance's fantasies because he had nothing better to do? Did Lance become a burden on Keith throughout the last three years of when he thought they were becoming friends (or more)? 

Shiro's voice snapped Lance out of his thoughts, "Keith can we talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about Shiro. You all have families to get back to. I don't. But if I can help the universe recover from Zarkon's reign, I'm going to."

Despite Keith's short declaration, Shiro gently grabbed his arm and led him to the side of the ballroom.

Hunk turned to Lance, "Buddy-"

Lance interrupted, "I'm fine, I just- I need some space."

Lance offered his best friend a halfhearted smile before he quickly fled from the ballroom.

The hallways were lit as per usual, but instead of the blue lights feeling warm, Lance found them to create a cold environment for him and his thoughts. Lance couldn't care less about the lights. All he could think of was what Keith had said. 

"I don't have anything to go back for."

The silence was deafening and Lance ducked into the first door he came across, a broom closet. His breath quickened and his eyes burned as he choked on a sob. He couldn't believe he had fallen for someone who didn't want anything to do with him. And yes, Lance had fallen, hard, for Keith. Everything about him was amazing, but, Lance let the tears start falling, it seemed as if this love he felt so strongly was not returned. 

Lance stifled another sob as he heard Shiro's voice.

"Look, I can't tell you what to do Keith, but please consider coming back to Earth with us. And talk to Lance."

Lance frowned at the following silence that most likely meant that Keith had shrugged indifferently.

Shiro's footsteps reverberated off the hallways he walked back to the ballroom. Lance waited a few more seconds before deciding he would go confront Keith.

He emerged slowly from the closet to give himself time to compose himself, but it was all for nothing because across the hall from the door, Keith sat staring at his shoes with a scowl. 

He scrambled to his feet as Lance presented himself.

"Lanc-" Keith starts but Lance is overwhelmed with an anger he didn't realize he had until he was looking into the face of the boy he had fallen in love with.

"You said you don't have anything to go back to Earth for. That you don't have a family. But what about me? Was I just- don't I count for anything? I love you Keith," Lance realized that he was crying but he continued, "I love you but I guess that doesn't matter. I thought I mattered."

Lance started his speech a whole hallway width away from Keith but he found, with a start that once he couldn't continue, that Keith was so close he could see the grey flecks in his violet eyes that were ringed with red.

Keith was silent for what seemed like ages. Lance huffed and turned to walk away when he found a hand wrapped around his wrist. 

"Keith let me go-"

"You matter," his words were hardly a whisper.

"What?"

"You matter so much Lance. You're the only thing that matters, and I just- I just left you," Keith clenched his eyes closed to try to stop crying to no prevail, "I was gone for so long. You didn't deserve that. I should've stayed."

'I should've asked,' Lance thought.

"I was gone for such a long time, Lance. I thought- You shouldn't care about someone who will leave you. You deserve someone who will stay."

Both boys were crying and when Lance couldn't take it anymore, he pulled Keith into the tightest embrace he could manage. Keith clung to Lance's shirt as he sobbed.

"Then stay."

Lance could hardly hear himself, he doubted Keith heard him either so he repeated.

"Stay with me Keith. Come home with me. You can meet my family. We can move in together. And I'll teach you to speak Spanish. We can figure out how to have a normal life again just please," his voice broke, "Please don't leave me."

Keith pulled away from Lance's embrace and he prepared himself for a silent rejection. Instead, Keith's soft voice filled his ears.

"Can I kiss you?"

Lance was shocked but he nodded.

Then their lips were pressed together in a starving kiss. They could feel each other's need to be close after so long of being apart. The kiss was sloppy but neither minded, all they cared about was the other being safe and with them. 

Lance knew that going back to Earth would not be easy, not after five years of fighting for the universe; but he also knew that he and Keith could figure it out, together.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this!!! I enjoyed writing it!


End file.
